This disclosure relates generally to devices and methods for loading and blocking articles in a container for transport, and more specifically to shipping chocks and methods for loading and securing large cylindrical objects in shipping containers.
A number of methods and techniques to effectively secure and transport a variety of different products in bulk are known in the shipping and freight industry. Such techniques are generally aimed to prevent movement or shifting of the loads in a shipping container such as, for example, a tractor trailer, a rail car, or other containers familiar to those in the art for packing and transporting goods in bulk from one location to another. Certain types of goods, however, present unique challenges to the shipping and freight industry.
As a general rule, it is advisable to stack goods in a shipping container where possible to maximize the efficient use of space in the container and to minimize shifting of the load. Not all goods however can be effectively stacked in a shipping container. As one example, paper is sometimes provided in large cylindrical rolls that are not conducive to conventional stacking techniques. Such rolls may be, for example, 50-58 inches in diameter and have a length of 74 inches or more. The large dimensions of such rolls have conventionally prohibited stacking of the rolls in a shipping container.